When Is the Best Time to Buy a Mattress? (2024 Guide)

If you’re in the market for a new mattress, the last thing that you want to do is accidentally spend far more than you should on it. If you’re trying to get the best possible deal on your new mattress, it all comes down to the time that you buy.

Here, we highlight the ideal times to buy a mattress, as well as the times to avoid. There are also great tips to help you save money the next time that you need to purchase a mattress.

The 6 Best Times to Buy a Mattress

1. Late Winter or Early Spring

Most mattress manufacturers release new models around April to June, which means mattresses stores need to clear house to make room for the new inventory.

If the mattress store effectively clears out its inventory throughout the year, this sale won’t happen, but most mattress stores typically have at least a few models with overstock during this time frame.

You might not get the best selection to pick from, but there should be a few different styles for an outstanding price.

2. Holiday Weekends

Mattress stores know that holiday weekends are among the busiest shopping days of the year, and they need to compete with all the other mattress stores out there to get your business.

This leads to big markdowns and great deals for customers. Even better, you typically don’t have to stick with older models, as many stores mark down everything. This gives you more choices to pick from!

The downside is that holiday weekends are short timeframes, and you’re not the only person hoping to get a discounted mattress. You’ll likely have to deal with large crowds when you’re shopping. But if you already know what models you like, you can head out on a holiday weekend to quickly pick it up at a discounted price.

3. Cyber Monday

Not everyone wants to rush out to a mattress store and potentially deal with salespeople. Cyber Monday is the biggest online shopping day in the United States, and there are many deals to pick through.

Even better, you get to browse multiple stores for the ultimate selection, all without leaving the comfort of your home!

The downside is that while Cyber Monday involves many online discounts, it’s not always the same level of deals that you can get in person. You can’t haggle at all, for one thing, and you have to buy it online. That means you can’t try out the mattress before you get it.

Some shops will tack on shipping and delivery charges at the end, which can eat away at all your savings compared to shopping in-store. Still, there’s no denying the convenience of shopping online.

4. Black Friday

If you had to pick one day to find the best deals for just about anything in the United States, the first day that comes to mind is Black Friday. The Friday after Thanksgiving is one of the biggest shopping days of the year, and the sales are practically everywhere, mattress stores included.

However, there are a few drawbacks to shopping for a mattress on Black Friday. First, more and more stores are pushing “Black Friday” into Thanksgiving, meaning you might have to head out on the holiday to get the deal.

Second, if not on Thanksgiving, stores often open on Friday at midnight, which may mean a late night of shopping for you or risking missing good deals.

Finally, Black Friday brings crowds to stores, and if you find a mattress store offering a great discount, there’s a high chance that there will be plenty of other people there. Still, if you’re willing to deal with all that, shopping on Black Friday might get you the best possible deal.

5. Overstock Times

Sometimes a mattress store thinks that a mattress will sell better than it does. When this happens, it ends up with extras, and it needs to get rid of those to make room for new stock.

If you can find a store that has this overstock, you can usually get a great deal on a mattress. However, the downside to shopping this way is that you don’t get the best selection. The deals typically only show up on the overstock items, which means you don’t get to pick whatever you want in the store.

Also, there’s no way to know when a store is going to have overstock. Early winter and spring are the most likely times, but it can happen at any time during the year. This means you need to keep an eye out for deals at various stores, which takes time, work, and patience.

6. Closing Stores

This is probably the best possible way to get the lowest possible price on a mattress, but it’s not always the easiest to track down. If you can find a mattress store that’s going out of business, it’s likely to have extremely discounted mattresses.

Even better, you can often haggle the already discounted rates even further. The closer you get to the store’s final closing date, the more likely it will sell you a mattress for less, but its selection is also going to drop with each passing day.

The real issue here is that it can be a challenge to find a mattress store that’s closing. If you can find one, though, you’ll save a great deal of money on a mattress because it’ll be doing everything that it can to clear out its stock before shutting the doors for the last time.

The 3 Worst Time to Buy a Mattress

While it’s great to know when to shop for a new mattress, it’s also worth knowing what times to avoid. If you shop for a mattress during these times, it’s going to be more challenging to find a sale, and there’s a good chance that you’ll end up spending more money.

1. June to September

June is when mattress stores start to get their new selections for the year. While you get plenty of choices, there’s also no reason for the mattress store to drop the price.

This means you’ll have myriad choices and can get a newer mattress model, but you’re also more likely to pay full price for it. The store is far less likely to haggle with you, and finding a deal is a bit more difficult.

2. Throughout the Week

While holiday weekends might be the best time to shop for a mattress, if you head in during the week, you’re less likely to get a deal. The tradeoff, though, is that the salesperson will have more time to work with you.

This means they can really help you find the perfect mattress, and you might be able to haggle with them a bit more, especially if the store is empty. You also get to pick from a great selection and newer styles. Just know that finding a store offering a weekday deal at a random point throughout the year is a bit challenging.

3. Just Whenever

When you need a new mattress, you want to just run out and get one. While that will fix your old mattress problem, it’s not the best choice for your wallet.

If you can, take your time, shop for deals, and go to different stores to get different price points. If you just go out whenever, don’t expect to find many deals, and be aware that there’s a good chance that you’re going to spend more.

But there’s no denying that shopping this way makes it easier to fit into your schedule, and you typically get many mattresses to pick from, including ones in new styles.

Mattress Buying Tips

Now that you know the ideal times of the year to go out and shop for a new mattress, here are more tips to get the best possible mattress and save money in the process.

First, head out to the mattress store well before you want to purchase your mattress. If you’re coming up on a holiday weekend or it’s still before the overstock season, this is the best time to go out and see what mattresses you like.

You won’t have the crowds to deal with, and you’ll be able to highlight a few specific mattresses that you like beforehand. When you are ready to buy, you can quickly find what you want and work with the salesperson on the price.

Second, be sure to haggle. Not too many people think of haggling with the store over the price of a mattress, but it’s certainly something that you can do. At the very least, see if you can get free delivery.

Finally, do your research. You might think that you’re getting a great deal because it’s “on sale,” but you need to know what other places are charging for the same mattress. Compare the price that you see to those of other stores, and then go with the best deal.

Conclusion

Now that you know how to save money the next time that you go shopping for a mattress, it’s up to you to put in the work to get the best possible deal.

Take your time, and do your best to enjoy the process. When you are finished, you will have an outstanding mattress to get a great night’s sleep and you will have saved a good amount of money too.

Featured Image Credit: Freeograph, Shutterstock